GOP polling guru delivers blistering verdict on Trump's debate performance and devastating impact on election chances

GOP polling expert Frank Luntz dropped a bleak outlook for Donald Trump after his lackluster debate performance against Kamala Harris.

The so-called 'Nostradamus of pollsters' said Trump severely damaged himself during the pivotal Philadelphia showdown on Wednesday night -- even though Harris didn't give her best performance.

When asked by Piers Morgan if Harris won, Luntz replied: 'I think more accurately is that Donald Trump lost'.

Trump gave 'very close to' the worst debate performance he'd ever seen, Luntz admitted, citing as low points Trump's references to migrants eating dogs and praising Hungary's leader Viktor Orban. 

He told a stunned Morgan that when people go to the polls in November, 'I think that he loses because of this debate performance'. 

The GOP pollster also slammed Trump's 'missing the opportunity to focus on inflation and affordability, and the complete inability to present his point of view without completely tearing into her, into Joe Biden, into whomever was in his sights.'

Luntz did say, however, that he was unimpressed with Harris and called the debate 'pretty bad for the entire country'.

'If these are the best that Republicans and Democrats can do, it's a pretty sad state for American democracy'.  

Voters said Kamala Harris made them feel 'hopeful' when they were asked for their one-word summary of her Tuesday night debate performance.

It is the latest indicator that the vice president performed stronger than many expected against former President Donald Trump, and in this case won the vibe war.

When the responses for Trump were organized into a word cloud, the most prominent term was 'annoyed.'

The details come from a online poll of 800 independent voters conducted by J.L. Partners on Tuesday evening.

The headline numbers revealed that 49 percent felt that Harris performed most strongly on a night when Trump appeared to let his opponent get under his skin. 

In contrast, 43 percent said they thought Trump won the night. 

The two candidates met for the first time in the ABC News debate in Philadelphia. They spent more than an hour and a half tussling over abortion, the economy and foreign policy.

Harris came with a plan to knock Trump off his stride and appeared to succeed. She generated the most viral moment of the night when she ridiculed Trump's rallies, saying that people left early out of 'exhaustion and boredom.'

He defended what he called the 'most incredible rallies in the history of politics' before pivoting to repeat an extraordinary online rumor about migrants eating pets.

'Talk about extreme,' Harris said, laughing. 

The result was that Trump's plan to define his opponent in viewers' minds was sidelined for chunks of time as he defended himself or launched personal attacks. 

Trump again refused to acknowledge his 2020 election defeat and at times raised his voice as he launched personal attacks at Harris.  

Both candidates can take some comfort from other parts of the night, however.

Trump did well on some of the biggest issues that will decide the 2024 election. 

When viewers were asked to sum up his best moment in a word, the results were: Border, economy, policy, and immigration.

Harris's word cloud was domination by the single word 'abortion,' after she offered a clear and comprehensive policy position on an issue where Trump is clearly struggling to reconcile his personal views with pressure from religious conservatives who are crucial to his coalition.

The two candidates are locked in a tight race.

Harris had seen her stock, and her fundraising, rise after her surprise entry to the race in July. However, there are signs that her honeymoon is ending and the polls are tightening again.

Our DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners election model gives Trump a 55 percent of victory.